Pu_yang

When cynical office worker Aizen is reborn as a nameless mob character in Arcana Regalia: Gentlemen’s Passion, a magical otome game notorious for its ruthless villainess, he expects a short, miserable life polishing silverware. But after accidentally becoming the childhood confidant (and target of obsessive affection) of Stephanie Redwyne—the game’s ice-cold antagonist destined for exile—Aizen’s “mob” existence goes up in flames.

Years later, framed as dead and exiled to a monster-infested jungle, Aizen reinvents himself as “Phoenix,” a flamboyant adventurer with a face-stealing mask, a sentient fire spirit, and a grudge. Meanwhile, Stephanie, now a brooding academy prodigy, is hellbent on freezing the world solid to avenge her lost servant… unaware he’s the same smug B-rank hero burning down bandit camps (and noble expectations) one quest at a time.

Will Aizen survive his fiery double life? Can Stephanie thaw her icy heart before her yandere tendencies ignite a war? And why does the king keep offering Phoenix statues?

Dive into a witty, magical romp where dating sim tropes crash into explosive fantasy chaos, and the underdog isn’t just rising—he’s arson.

yandere villainess is obsessed with me

Scene 1: The Royal Delegation

The academy's gates groaned under the weight of the royal procession. Crown Prince Julius, heir to the Celestian throne, dismounted his silver-maned stallion, his emerald cloak billowing like a banner. At his side strode Lady Evangeline, the kingdom's foremost arcane scholar, her spectacles glinting with cold curiosity.

"This is the infamous Arcana Regalia?" Julius sneered, eyeing the fissure-scarred courtyard. "I expected more from the institution that birthed Phoenix."

Headmaster Thistlewick bowed stiffly. "Your Highness, the fissures are contained—"

"By a dying girl," Evangeline interrupted, adjusting her gloves. "Where is Lady Redwyne? Her… methods interest me."

Behind a frost-coated pillar, Grey tensed. Stephanie's name on the scholar's lips felt like a threat.

Scene 2: The Scholar's Blade

Evangeline cornered Lucien in the archives, her gloved hand hovering over the Frostfire Diadem's sketches. "You've studied Queen Illyria's relics. You know the diadem's true purpose."

Lucien's smirk faltered. "A tool for martyrs. Nothing more."

"A tool for control," she corrected. "Illyria didn't freeze her heart to save others. She did it to rule." Her gaze sharpened. "Tell Lady Redwyne the crown's corruption can be reversed—if she's willing to sever her ties to him."

Lucien's quill snapped. "Why help her?"

Evangeline smiled. "Dead heroines make poor research subjects."

Scene 3: The Bard's Ballad

That evening, a lute's melody wove through the academy's halls, drawing students to the courtyard. Lysander, the wandering bard, perched on the fractured fountain, his voice honeyed and haunting:

"Beware the flame that wears a crown,

A phoenix's rebirth comes with a cost—

A love remembered, a lover lost."

Grey froze mid-step. Lysander's amber eyes locked onto his, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. "Careful, lightning boy. Some ballads bite back."

Scene 4: The Prince's Ultimatum

Prince Julius summoned Grey to the headmaster's office, a map of the fissures unfurled between them. "You've let this chaos fester. My father's patience is thin."

Grey's scars prickled. "We're handling it."

"By letting a half-dead noble play savior?" Julius scoffed. "Evangeline tells me the diadem's magic is a crutch. Remove it, and the fissures stabilize."

"Remove it, and Stephanie dies."

The prince leaned forward, his crown glinting. "Then perhaps she should."

Scene 5: The Ice Queen's Choice

Stephanie stood before Evangeline, the scholar's gloved hands hovering over the Frostfire Diadem. "The crown's bond is a chain. Sever it, and the necrotic magic dies with the fissures. You'll live."

Evangeline's pause was answer enough.

Stephanie's frostbloom crown pulsed black. "No."

"Sentiment," Evangeline sighed. "How pedestrian."

Scene 6: The Bard's Secret

Lysander found Lilia weeping in the shrine, Sir Spicy nuzzling her cheek. "Cheer up, little sunbeam. Tragedies need audiences, not martyrs."

"You don't understand! Stephanie's family—"

"And family's worth a good ballad." He strummed his lute, the notes shimmering with hidden magic. "Ever hear the tale of the Phoenix and the Ice Queen? It ends with a kiss… and a choice."

Lilia's tears stilled. "You know who Grey really is."

Lysander winked. "I know stories. Whether they're true depends on the teller."

Scene 7: The Fractured Council

That night, the group gathered in secret—Grey, Stephanie, Lilia, Elara, Lucien, and an unwelcome Lysander.

"The prince wants you dead," Elara said bluntly. "Evangeline wants you dissected. We need a plan."

Lysander plucked a discordant note. "Or a distraction. Say… a royal scandal?"

Stephanie's ice dagger hit the table. "We fix the fissures. My way."

Grey gripped her blackened hand. "Together."

Chapter 41: "Crowns and Shadows"